Thomas’ entrepreneurial passion is centered in consumer brands and consumer Internet companies. Since founding ecommerce retailer Balsam Hill, Thomas has launched several other national brands under the Balsam Brands umbrella including pool retailer Backyard Ocean. Prior to founding Balsam Brands, Thomas served as the President and CEO of Progress Wire Products, a contract manufacturing company. Thomas also worked in marketing for the Clorox Company, in business development for the Cleveland Clinic, and as a consultant at McKinsey. Thomas was an Arjay Miller Scholar (top 10%) in the Stanford MBA program and holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College in Geosciences, Economics, and Environmental Studies.

Caroline’s professional career encompasses strategic planning and consumer products marketing roles for leading international brands. Caroline joined Balsam Brands in 2007 as VP of Marketing, where she quickly led the launch of two new brands. Prior to joining Balsam Brands, Caroline led strategic planning for the Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss and worked as a consultant at Bain. Caroline has also worked in the non-profit sector including consulting at The Bridgespan Group and institutional fundraising at YouthBuild USA. Caroline was an Arjay Miller Scholar in the Stanford MBA program and holds an undergraduate degree in Business and Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kristen’s professional experience spans both financial and consumer industries, and her roles have focused on analysis, business development, operations, and marketing. Kristen first joined Balsam Brands as an MBA intern in 2007, and returned full time in 2008. She predominantly focuses on online marketing, and has rolled out successful marketing campaigns across multiple online channels. Kristen also led the creation and launch of a new brand in late 2009. Prior to joining Balsam Brands, Kristen worked as an investment banker at JPMorgan, an associate at the private equity firm CIVC Partners, and a Senior Financial Analyst at Sears. Kristen was an Arjay Miller Scholar in the Stanford MBA program, she also earned an AB in Economics and Statistics and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago.

Carl is driven to create engaging and streamlined shopping experiences online, consistently seeking innovative solutions to everyday ecommerce issues. One of the first members of the Balsam Hill team, Carl has launched new designs for many of the Balsam Brands websites. He brings years of experience in design and management experience to the team, building upon his degree in Design & Environmental Analysis from Cornell University. Upon graduation with honors, he worked in design consulting at Toyota Motor Sales in Los Angeles, HOK Consulting in San Francisco, and PLANETii USA in New York City. His free time is spent coordinating his social project to feed 5,000 people with two fish through a series of trades, at 2stinkyfish.com.

Karishma’s professional experience spans both financial and consumer industries. Karishma joined the team in 2009, focusing predominantly on online marketing, which combined her analytical side and interest in the online retail space. In 2010, she took over the lighting initiatives of the company and led the launch of two businesses– Hinkley Lighting Gallery and Kichler Superstore. Prior to joining Balsam Brands, Karishma worked as a Telecom and Media investment banker at Deutsche Bank in London and as a strategic consultant for Bottlenotes, a startup in the wine industry. Karishma graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a Bachelor degree in Economics & Politics from Oxford University.

Sharon's professional experience includes line management and marketing roles at consumer goods firms in the apparel, computing, and personalized photo products industries. Sharon joined Balsam Brands in 2010 as VP of eCommerce & Consumer Marketing, responsible for creating a robust eCommerce practice across all of our Webstores and developing effective merchandising and email strategies. Sharon jobshares this role with her husband David Gross. Prior to joining Balsam Brands, Sharon was the Director of eCommerce for Shutterfly, and prior to that managed the online consumer Printing & Imaging business for HP. She has many years of experience in eCommerce, online merchandising, promotional strategy, and P&L management. Sharon was an Arjay Millar Scholar in the Stanford MBA program, and graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Public & International Affairs from Princeton University.

David's professional career includes a wide range of consumer marketing and eCommerce roles at leading consumer goods companies. David is passionate about using data and analytics in new and innovative ways to drive improvements in business results. David joined Balsam Brands in 2010 as VP of eCommerce & Consumer Marketing, responsible for creating a robust eCommerce practice across all of our Webstores and developing effective merchandising and email strategies. He shares this role with his wife, Sharon Gross. Prior to joining Balsam Brands, David was the Director of eCommerce for Shutterfly, and before that managed the online consumer printer business for HP. David has also worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey, an environmental economist, and a forecasting manager. He has many years of experience in eCommerce, online merchandising, promotional strategy, and P&L management. David was an Arjay Millar Scholar in the Stanford MBA program, and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Economics from Princeton University.

Greg's professional career spans multiple industries including energy, retail, mortgage banking, and real estate. He enjoys working for small, entrepreneurial companies, and his roles have encompassed business analysis, strategy, operations analysis, and business development. He joined Balsam Brands in 2010 as a Strategy Manager, where he currently oversees organic search for all sites. Prior to joining the company he worked as a Business Analyst at an energy efficiency startup, and prior to that held various analytical and strategic roles for both small, early-stage companies and large, established companies such as Countrywide Home Loans and GE Real Estate. Greg earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and holds a BS in Applied Mathematics from UCLA.